Connect with us

MMA

Paulo Costa criticizes UFC after declining Magomed Ankalaev replacement fight

Published

3 months ago

on

Paulo Costa criticizes UFC after declining Magomed Ankalaev replacement fight
Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Paulo Costa
didn't like the short-notice fight offer against Magomed
Ankalaev.

Ankalaev was originally scheduled to fight Khalil
Rountree in the main event at
UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
However, Rountree pulled out due to an injury and has been replaced
by Uzbek contender Bogdan
Guskov. Costa has now revealed he was in the running to take on
the former light heavyweight champion.

Paulo Costa discusses UFC negotiations and short-notice Abu
Dhabi offer

Costa (16-4) recently revealed that he, too, was approached by the
UFC to replace Rountree against Ankalaev. However, “Borrachinhaâ€
turned down the offer as it was too short notice to fly to Abu
Dhabi for a five-round fight. Costa also claims he was not offered
any extra incentive to accept a tough matchup against a former
champion.

“They called yesterday,†Costa told Ariel Helwani. “But I think
it's so short notice, like less than 14 days, to get a flight to
Abu Dhabi. 16-hour flight to Abu Dhabi, five rounds, for the same
money, and not even for an interim belt. I don’t think this makes
sense right now.â€

Costa has recently been calling out the UFC for not offering him a
fight despite him being ready. The Brazilian believes the
short-notice booking against Ankalaev was offhandedly offered to
him as a result of his recent demands. However, the former UFC
middleweight title challenger didn't like the way the negotiations
were handled. Costa notes that the UFC has often pushed away its
top talents, like former heavyweight champion Francis
Ngannou, due to failed negotiations.

“The way they handled these negotiations, I don't think it's the
best way,†Costa added. “I think they push good talents away from
them. They create a distance; they create beef between fighters and
the guy who negotiates. We have seen this in the past. Francis was
one of these guys. They pushed so hard; they pushed him away and
gave him to big events like MVP.â€

“Hey I have a great deal for you: NON TITLE Fight in 13 days short
notice, Abu Dhabi, 5 rounds , same money, nothing better,†he wrote
on X.

Costa is coming off back-to-back wins over Roman
Kopylov and Azamat
Murzakanov.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

UFC 333 ‘Volkanovski vs. Evloev’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Published

4 hours ago

on

October 24, 2026

By

UFC 333 ‘Volkanovski vs. Evloev’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Sherdog’s live
UFC 333 “Volkanovski vs. Evloev†coverage will begin Saturday
at 10 a.m. ET.

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 4

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 5

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Round 1

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 2

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 3

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 4

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

Round 5

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round:
Tyler Treese scores the round:
Mike Sloan scores the round:

The Official Result

Continue Reading

MMA

Movsar Evloev warns Alexander Volkanovski: He hasnt beaten anyone like me

Published

22 hours ago

on

October 23, 2026

By

Movsar Evloev warns Alexander Volkanovski: 'He hasn't beaten anyone like me'
Movsar
Evloev says he has pushed himself harder than ever ahead of his
first UFC title shot.

Evloev (20-0) is scheduled to challenge Alexander
Volkanovski (28-4) for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the
bout, the unbeaten Russian discussed how his preparations have
differed from previous training camps.

Movsar Evloev details toughest training camp ahead of Alexander
Volkanovski title fight at UFC 333

Evloev said he increased his workload across all aspects of
training to address any potential weaknesses. He believes that
preparation will help him showcase his abilities in Saturday's main
event.

“This preparation is different just because I pushed more than
ever,†Evloev said in a pre-fight interview. “And we did more of
everything to make sure we didn't miss anything. He hasn't beaten
anyone like me. There's many things that make me special, like
unique. And I'm about to show it Saturday.â€

Evloev has long been considered a leading featherweight contender,
with Volkanovski acknowledging him as the most deserving
challenger. However, Diego Lopes
received a title rematch against Volkanovski earlier this year
before Evloev earned his opportunity. The Russian's lack of UFC
finishes has fueled debate about his wait for a championship bout,
though the promotion has not established it as the reason for the
delay.

Continue Reading

MMA

Joshua Van: Sean Strickland ‘in a bad spot’ in Dana White feud over UFC pay

Published

23 hours ago

on

October 23, 2026

By

Joshua Van: Sean Strickland ‘in a bad spot’ in Dana White feud over UFC pay

Joshua Van sides with UFC boss Dana White in his public feud with Sean Strickland.

For Van, the UFC's flyweight champion, the matter should have been discussed behind closed doors instead of a public forum like social media.

“He just signed a contract in May and fought Khamzat, and then he won,†Van told Outta Pocket. “Instead of going on Twitter and going on all that [expletive], he should have talked to Dana and said, ‘I wanna renegotiate.' Behind closed doors. Then the boss would have been like, ‘OK, let's talk about this, what you want?' You just beat the boogeyman. Now it's a whole mess.â€

“If you work at a 9-to-5 job and you go off to your boss and you're like, pay me this much. Like, what the [expletive]? You know what I mean? So he's in a bad spot right now. He's still under the contract. I don't know how that's gonna work.â€

A 25-year-old flyweight champion who started his professional MMA career when Strickland already had 14 UFC bouts under his belt, Van agrees with Strickland that fighters should get paid more.

However, he doesn't sound unhappy with his current UFC contract. Van recently defended his 125-pound belt with a decision over Alexandre Pantoja, his third title bout win in a span of 10 months, including a fifth-round TKO over Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event of Chimaev vs. Strickland.

“I'm getting paid good,†Van said with a laugh. “I think they pay me good amount; I don't know, but fighter that think they deserve more or—like, should we get paid more? Yes, but, I don't know, I'm happy where I'm at. I start from zero to now, the UFC literally made me where I'm at, gave me everything that I got right now. I don't know, I'm happy right now. I can't really say for the other guy.â€

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending